Future is bright for Plainview baseball

By SKIP LEON Herald Sports Editor

Published 10:54 am, Thursday, June 26, 2014

Photo: Skip Leon/Plainview Herald

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Players from the two Plainview all-star baseball teams line up and shake hands after the 11-12-year-old 70-foot district championship at McMillan Field Tuesday night. Both Plainview teams gave a good account of themselves during the tourney. less

Players from the two Plainview all-star baseball teams line up and shake hands after the 11-12-year-old 70-foot district championship at McMillan Field Tuesday night. Both Plainview teams gave a good account of ... more

Photo: Skip Leon/Plainview Herald

Future is bright for Plainview baseball

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I have seen the future of Plainview Bulldog baseball, and it is good.

Future Bulldogs put their talents on display throughout the weekend and earlier this week in the 11-12-year-old 70-foot district tournament at McMillan Field in Plainview. Six teams competed in the tournament, including squads from Pampa, Dumas, High Plains (Canyon) and Hereford. But in the end, it was an all-Plainview final.

The two local teams, Plainview Blue and Plainview Red, competed in the finals Tuesday. Plainview Blue prevailed and will advance to the state tournament in Pampa July 5-8. It should be noted that Plainview Red was comprised of 11-year-olds and included a 9-year-old on the team, playing against 12-year-olds.

Both Plainview teams were talented and determined. They competed hard and made a number of fine plays, both defensively and offensively. Both hit their share of home runs during the tournament. And both got some clutch pitching.

Both teams had to battle back from early deficits in their opening games. Plainview Blue fell behind 2-0 in the first inning against High Plains Saturday, but rebounded with 14 unanswered runs to win by the 10-run rule.

Plainview Red was down 6-1 against Hereford Friday night, but scored four runs to get within 6-5 before losing a close 7-5 decision.

To their credit, Plainview Red avenged that opening-game loss with a 9-3 victory over Hereford Monday night to advance to Tuesday’s finals. A team needs to have a certain grit to come back like that, and the Red squad showed that determination.

There is something magical and wonderful about watching a youth baseball game. After the tournament, I couldn’t help but daydream about that day 50 years ago when a 5-year-old first came into contact with sports.

I was in the living room of our house watching our black-and-white box television, which actually was pretty modern at the time. My aunt and uncle were visiting and they had a New York Mets baseball game on TV that summer afternoon in 1964. I immediately took to the sport. I fell in love with the whole spectacle of it, from the singing of the national anthem to the post-game show and everything in between. Baseball was my first love.

And watching the Plainview teams compete in the district tournament, it was apparent that every player on each team loves the sport of baseball. They showed it by playing hard, by cheering for their teammates from the dugout, and by their smiles and positive attitudes throughout each game they played.

The beauty of youth baseball is that it is far removed from the Major Leagues, where the reality of the business side of the sport creeps in. The Plainview teams serve as a reminder to all of us why we first fell in love with the game. The future Bulldogs were playing for the sheer joy of the game. And that is refreshing and wonderful to watch.

Another thing that stuck out was the sportsmanship displayed by the two local teams, especially when they were playing against each other for the championship. There was mutual respect on both sides of the field. A good example was that when players hit home runs, they received high-fives from their opponents on the field as they rounded the bases. Some of those opponents had been their teammates during the regular season.

At the end of Tuesday’s championship game, the Plainview teams lined up to shake hands and then all the players and coaches met on the pitcher’s mound after the contest.

It was not only a celebration of a championship won, but a celebration of Plainview baseball in general.

The 12-year-olds on the Blue team will move on to the state tournament. For the 11-year-olds on the Red team, they will get another shot next year. They will be the 12-year-olds who gained a wealth of experience in this year’s tournament.

Plainview had enough good players to enter two all-star teams in the district tournament. But in the end, it’s not about Red and Blue. It’s not about division. It’s about Plainview baseball. In five or six years, they’ll all be Bulldogs playing on the same team. And that bodes well for the future of baseball in Plainview.